The Cold War brought the establishment of a new world order. In Europe, past empires like France and Britain experienced a decline in political power, while other countries were still embroiled in reconstruction following the World Wars. The United States gradually stepped into a very specific and novel role in global governance: the protector of democracy. Regardless of whether this role was assigned to the United States by the international community or if the United States took on the mantle as a way to present itself as a direct opponent to the Soviet Union, Cold War-era policies enacted in the name of preserving democracy abroad have shaped US foreign policy. Abroad, the United States went on to champion independence and human rights from Vietnam in the sixties to Libya in the early 2000s. Above all, America’s foreign intervention ideology, regardless of effectiveness, determined the way other countries view the United States: as a symbol of democracy. In Donald Trump’s second term, however, this image is dissolving faster than ever.
Amidst unprecedented expansions and utilizations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the National Guard, Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts in their favor, and a rise in political and hate-fueled violence, it is safe to say that the United States is undergoing major democratic backsliding. Simultaneously, wars are raging in the Middle East and continuing between Ukraine and Russia. Warranted or not, the United States is expected, or maybe rather expects itself, to intervene as it historically has. The question at hand becomes: Can the United States maintain its mythologized position as a protector of democracy—a safeguard of freedom—if it cannot even do so within its own borders? Moreover, can the United States maintain its image as a global superpower merely through political rhetoric? With Trump in office, the answer appears to be “no.”
In a Pew Research Center poll of 24 nations around the world—including the UK, France, India, Kenya, Brazil, and Argentina—opinions of the United States have steeply declined since the spring prior to Trump’s second electoral win in 15 of these countries. In a majority of those countries, the decline in public opinion was drastic. Such a dramatic decrease has only occurred at one other time in this specific poll’s history since the year 2000: following Trump’s first year in office in 2017.
These results demonstrate a direct correlation between President Trump and the decline in the perceived legitimacy of the United States as a country that is domestically stable and also able to protect democracy abroad. In the Pew Research Center’s most recent poll, more than 19 countries had majorities that expressed little to no confidence in President Trump’s ability to handle key foreign policy issues, such as the Russia-Ukraine War, the Gaza War, and US-China relations. In addition, the poll revealed that a majority of those surveyed agreed with statements characterizing Trump as arrogant, dangerous, unqualified to be president, and undiplomatic. But a similar majority deemed him a strong leader.
This juxtaposition of undemocratic characteristics with the perception of “a strong leader” points to a much more problematic assessment of foreign policy today—one that decenters democracy as a core value of the international community. While the United States has made mistakes in its attempts at military intervention, it had previously been able to maintain its reputation as a stronghold of democracy by championing democratic principles. Foreign interventions were covertly executed under the guise of democracy, and governments were overthrown for the sake of protecting human rights. Regardless of the interventions themselves, the United States relied on a democratic national rhetoric that promoted the values upon which the country was built to defend its actions.
Now, Trump unabashedly abuses executive powers, unprofessionally conducts international communications, and openly attacks the credibility of his political opponents. With him at the helm of America, fair play and democratic values are no longer deemed necessary to effective global governance. The United States’ ineffective and irresponsible foreign policies are converging with its crumbling international image under Trump. The country is now perceived as undemocratic and incompetent. The new fear is that other countries will follow suit. And if the overwhelming wave of global public opinion continues to move towards the right, it seems international democratic backsliding will become inevitable.